Geometry Scavenger Hunt - Exploratorium

Geometry Scavenger Hunt
What geometric shapes can you find on the playground?
Materials
• Geometric Shapes chart
(see page 2)
• paper (one or more sheets of
8.5˝ × 11˝ white paper)
• clipboard or book to support the
paper
• pencil
• colored pens
• stapler
• digital camera (optional)
• printer (optional)
• glue or tape (optional)
Group Size
small groups
GEOMETRY PLAYGROUND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES © 2010 Exploratorium
www.exploratorium.edu/geometryplayground/activities
Background
You can find geometric shapes everywhere! Practice observation skills and notice
examples of geometric shapes in this scavenger hunt, and then sketch and write
about each shape. This activity can be very specific—for example, focusing on
different types of triangles—or it can be very broad and include a variety of
different shapes.
Try This
1. Use the Geometric Shapes chart to review shapes that you know and to
identify shapes that you hope to find on your scavenger hunt.
2. Fold the paper in half (short end to short end) to create the first four pages of a
booklet. Plan to use each page for one or two shapes. If you’re going to add
photos, you’ll probably need a whole page for each shape. Decide how many
shapes you’ll try to find, and fold additional sheets of paper as necessary.
3. Take your materials and go to the playground with your group.
4. The group can be divided into smaller subgroups. Each subgroup should
choose an interesting location or two at which to make observations.
5. When you spot a geometric shape, briefly sketch the
playing court or structure where you found it, and then
indicate the shape with a darker line. Write the name of
the shape and where you found it (for example, “square,
found in four-square court”). If you have a digital camera,
take pictures of your shapes.
6. If you took photographs, get them printed, and then glue or tape them to your
pages.
7. You can use colored pens to highlight particular shapes or words.
8. Assemble your pages into a booklet, using the colored paper as the cover, and
staple the booklet along the folded midline. Write a title and your name on the
front cover.
9. Share your booklet with your whole group.
Extensions
• Add a measuring tape to the materials listed above. In addition to finding
shapes, measure lengths, widths, diameters, and so on to find perimeters,
areas, and volumes.
Geometry Scavenger Hunt | Page 1

Geometric Shapes Chart
Lines and Plane Figures
Solid Figures
horizontal line
perpendicular lines
obtuse angle
pentagon
circle
equilateral triangle
parallelogram
cube
pyramid
polyhedron
veritcal line
curve
triangle
hexagon
GEOMETRY PLAYGROUND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES © 2010 Exploratorium
arc
scalene triangle
rhombus
cylinder
tetrahedron
sphere
diagonal line
right angle
square
octagon
ellipse
isosceles triangle
trapezoid
parallel lines
acute angle
rectangle
polygon
right triangle
quadrilateral
tesselation
rectangular prism
octahedron
cone
Geometry Scavenger Hunt | Page 2